Simone Peters, Alex Veldkamp and Joshua Schreuders practice a run of Parkland Immanuel Christian School's upcoming production of The Jungle Book. Their work will be performed at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove March 6. Supplied photo

Travis Patton believes plays performed by Parkland Immanuel Christian School students are an opportunity to break down social barriers.

He and co-director/fellow teacher Jonathan Van Schepen are putting on their fourth school play in as many years March 6 at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove. They have come together two times a week since September with a team of more than 20 students on stage and more than 10 behind the scenes. Patton said the initiative and passion that he has witnessed has moved him and that he did not expect it at all.

“They are very committed,” he said. “They have been given an opportunity to let their gifts and abilities shine. We have actors who, this is their third play in a row, and, they were involved backstage for earlier events. It is one of the best things to see this variety of students.”

Their latest work will be a version of The Jungle Book as made famous by Rudyard Kipling in the eponymous collection of short stories published in 1894, the animated Disney film in 1967 that focused on the story of Mowgli and its more realistic 2016 successor. This version of the narrative contains many of the core elements people are familiar with, but runs in parallel with work that highlights Kipling as a young man and imagines his stories as the product of experiences with bullies at boarding school and good teachers who inspired him deeply.

As Kipling overcomes his challenges in the tale, so too have those who run the program. They have built from an unsteady foundation and are growing in popularity with students who want to act, crew that want to produce and families that want to watch their children.

The play will feature the traditional elements of The Jungle Book that people are familiar with, but also run a parallel story about Kipling as a younger man in boarding school.Supplied photo

“The first year we had a cast of 10,” co-director Van Schepen said. “Last year we had a cast of 17. I think we are going to sell out our shows. The general community response gets better and better every year. There is a lot of pressure, but we are really quite excited for sure.”

Grade 12 student Jenna Appleyard, who plays Baloo the bear, is ready too. She has been involved in plays for years and said they shape her.

“I have grown way more confident in my acting ability since I started,” she said. “I have grown as a team player and improved overall.”

Parkland Immanuel Christian School’s run of The Jungle Book begins at 7:00 p.m. next Friday. Tickets can be purchased from the school.